Single Stamp As Background

The Christmas Lodge stamp set in the annual catalog is one that held my interest for quite a while, but I just couldn't justify purchasing another Christmas set.  So when the tree stamp became available as a single purchase, I ordered the single stamp.  I had an idea as to how I would use it, and it worked as I envisioned.  Of course, I did waste a few pieces of Whisper White cardstock, but once I knew what green would work best and how many times I needed to stamp off, the cards look very nice.  After inking the image with Old Olive, I stamped it once on a scrap paper and then the second time on the Whisper White cardstock for the Olive Green Card.  For the Cherry Cobbler card, I inked the stamp and stamped it twice on a scrap before stamping it on the Whisper White cardstock.  I used Early Espresso for the sentiment (from More Merry Messages) and even though it shows up on both cards, I think the more faded tree on the Cherry Cobbler Card is a tiny bit better.  Have a great day!

Good News

Regina got thru surgery.  Her husband called to let me know she was in recovery.  And then  a few minutes ago, Regina herself called!  We only talked for a minute, but she sounded relieved~~very relieved.  And so am I.  Thanks for the prayers sent up for Regina.  She said they were heard.  Goodnight all.

My Friend, Regina . . .

. . .has been fighting lung cancer for the past months. (A little side note~~Regina never smoked.  It shouldn't make a difference, but some people do wonder about that.)  About 5 months ago she underwent surgery, chemo and proton therapy.  Unfortunately, she has had a recurrence.   This morning she is going in for removal of her left lung.  She is so brave and has gone thru so much already.  She is keeping up a good front but I know she is very worried--especially about her family. Regina is married and has eleven year old twins, a girl and a  boy.  She is also the person who would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.  So today's post is a request:  Please say a prayer for Regina, her family and her doctors performing the surgery.  Send good thoughts to the Otten family. Have a great day and find a little prayin' time.

Our Christmas Tree

No other lights are needed in our living room~~unless you want to read!  I find it ironic that our Christmas tree is so calming.  You think of Christmas and the shopping, the baking, the present wrapping~~so much to do to get ready for Christmas.  Yet I walk past the tree and think about how pretty the tree is and take a few minutes to look at it and reflect on Christmases past.  And do you know what I remember the most?  Our Christmases I spent with my family and friends.  I do remember a few gifts~~the Little Women book my parents gave me when I was a child, the gumball machine engagement ring my husband (of 38 years) gave me and can't forget the iron he gave me--lol!  Those gifts were significant for one reason or another.  But when I look at the tree, I think about the family--Santa Claus coming to our house on Christmas Eve and handing out presents with my Mom and brothers and sister and Grandpa and Aunt Helen and Uncle I all sitting around and smiling and laughing; the stuffed cabbage dinner we had every Christmas Eve that our kids and my nephews did not enjoy; all of us sitting in the living room on the sofa, chairs, the floor and just being a family~~a joyful time; going to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and so much more.  I guess the shopping and wrapping are all part of the Christmas celebration, but above all else, it is about the love and laughter of family and friends that will carry over year after year.  I hope that as you prepare for the holidays, you can take the time to look at your tree and find a little peace and quiet.

Watercolor Winter Simplicity

I purchased the Watercolor Winter set and sorry to say, have barely used it.  Today's cards are two quick and simple cards stamped with the poinsettia image from the Watercolor Winter set and a greeting from the Greetings of the Season set, both sets in the Holiday mini. I am pleased with the look of Cherry Cobbler ink and ribbon against the white card base.  And I especially like the scored lines on the lower card.  The one thing I am not too happy with is the yellow gel pen I used on the little centers of the poinsettias.  Future cards I make using this poinsettia will have  Dazzling Diamonds glitter in the center instead.  If you have a limited amount of time to spend making Christmas cards, these are two quick and simple ideas.  No poinsettia image?  How about a snowflake?  No holiday image at all?  How about the ribbon at the top, a few score lines in the center and the sentiment in the lower right hand corner?  So many possibilities with just a few supplies.  Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Petite Pockets For Christmas

Happy Monday!  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration--as always.  Once everything from Thanksgiving was put away, out came the Christmas decorations.  John put out the lights up outside, just before the cold air arrived.  Then yesterday we focused on the inside decorations and put up the Christmas tree. The living room always looks so pretty with the tree lit.  I will have to post a picture of the tree later in the week.  Today's photo shows gift envelopes made using the Petite Pocket die with tags  punched using the Decorative Label Punch. Both are items that I use often and both are on sale thru November 28th during the Online Extravaganza for 30% off.  These pretty pockets are the perfect presentation not only for gift cards, but also for monetary gifts, checks, candies, little trinkets and so much more.  The layer under the Decorative Label tags are not available through SU as I created those using my Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot program.  Have a great day and a good week.

Happy Thanksgiving

Woke up to our lovely little granddaughter's smiling face and eagerness to get ready for our Thanksgiving company.  Last night she toasted three loaves of bread while she donned her Laura Ingalls' bonnet and at the same time as Charlie Brown was toasting his bread--hahaha!!  Earlier in the day, she made these cute little turkey cookies, a recipe she found in her American Girl magazine back in the summer.    We are so blessed to have her in our lives and that her mommy has brought her up to know the importance of not only family, but of working together to make a day special.  I hope your day started as wonderfully as ours and that you have a blessed and very Happy Thanksgiving.

I am in the midst of getting ready for Thanksgiving and as usual, I got side-tracked--lol!!  Last month I was searching online for Bogdon Chocolate Covered Peppermint Sticks.  A container of about 60 sticks cost $8 and the shipping was between 6-12 dollars.  At that cost for shipping, I waited for a while and found a pack of 60 or so for $9 at my local World Plus Market--no shipping charge.   If I had waited a little longer, I recently saw them at Hobbly Lobby for $6.99 and with a 40% off coupon they would have cost even less.  Oh well, I would be spending more in gas money running around looking for the best price!  I originally needed these peppermint sticks for Snowman Soup  packs and found that the sticks also fit very nicely into a  pocket made  using the Petal Cone die.  I used Raspberry Ripple and Shimmery White cardstock, a little bit of tulle and a star brad to  hold the tulle in place. This is the first of a few Petal Cone die favors I will be making for Christmas.  Now back to Thanksgiving!  Have a great day and find yourself a little relaxin' time in the midst of your Thanksgiving preparations. 

SU Extravaganza Order

I will be placing an order for items on the Extravaganza list tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.  I am letting you know so if you are local and want to order only a few things, by combining orders we can save on the shipping.   Just send me an email with items you want to order together with your credit card info by 10 tomorrow morning.  Since SU will be closed on Friday, I am hoping that by getting the order in tomorrow, they will get it picked and shipped by tomorrow closing time.   One of the items I am stocking up on will be the rhinestones.  I love those little gems.  As a matter of fact, did you know that you can color our clear rhinestones using Copic markers or Sharpie markers.   I used my Copic markers on the rhinestones on these little tags.  I have also used my Sharpie markers to create color coordinated rhinestones.  Great little trick to keep in the back of your mind for future reference.  Let me know if you have any questions or want to add to the order.  Enjoy the rest of your day!

Chocolate Houses

I enjoy sharing things created by others and these chocolate houses needed to be shared.  My dear BFF, Lenora, makes these chocolate houses every Christmas and every Christmas I am amazed at the time and effort she puts into each one.  The houses begin with a solid piece of quality chocolate (similar to a  Hershey's kiss) from Morke's.  She melts down the chocolate and pours it into molds.  Some molds get painted first using various colored chocolate or confectionery product; i.e., the penguin.   Once the house is assembled (each wall a separate piece of chocolate), she starts embellishing her house using a variety of candies, adhering each with her adhesive of choice~~more chocolate.  Once all supplies are gathered, Lenora spends probably 4-5 hours on just one house, including melting and cooling time.  The houses and embellishments are all edible. Those who receive one of Lenora's houses are delighted--and for good reason! People will look at my cards and say, "Wow, so much work and people throw your cards away."  Well, these little houses are so cute and are so much work and we eat them!!!  Have a "sweet" day!

Soft, Pretty Snowflakes

This weekend John was off hunting and Sydney and I had a girl weekend here.  While making cards and Thanksgiving favors, I introduced Sydney to the Lennon Sisters and Lawrence Welk!  I don't even remember exactly how they became a big part of our weekend, but I was reminiscing and telling Syd how we used to spend our Saturday nights when we were kids~~watching the Lawrence Welk Show. Out came the iPad and Syd and I polkaed and waltzed, all while being creative in my scraproom!!!  It was fun and a bit sentimental as I watched those videos and thought about how my family enjoyed such simple things~~together.   Also simple are today's cards.  I stamped random snowflakes to make pretty backgrounds and then embellished a few of the flakes with little silver stars or Dazzling Diamonds.  The snowflake wreath image is from the Four Seasons hostess set, punched using the 2 3/8" scallop circle punch and adhered using dimensionals after the ribbon and/or seam binding was tied around the white cardstock of each card. By the way, when Syd woke up Sunday morning, she wanted to know if I could put on that "polkying" music again!  Must be that good Polish and German blood.  Have a great day! 

Online Extravaganza

Woke up to the news that Stampin' Up is having an online  sale beginning November 19th and ending November 28th.!  During these 10 days only, you  can get incredible discounts--up to 50 percent-on some of your favorite products! In addition, there will be three products 20 percent off for 24-hours only on both the first and last days of Online Extravaganza--our very own doorbusters!

Monday, November 19, midnight - 11:50 PM (MT)

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	24-Hour Sale Price
181	125586	Simply Scored Diagonal Plate	$11.95	$9.56
186	113439	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine	$99.95	$79.96
186	113474	Big Shot Doctor's Bag	$69.95	$55.96

Wednesday, November 28, midnight - 11:50 PM (MT)

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	24-Hour Sale Price
7	118941	Clear Block Bundle (Blocks A-I)	$66.95	$53.56
7	120279	Clear Block Storage Caddy	$16.95	$13.56
175	109127	Stack & Store Caddy	$34.95	$27.96

  http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Online_X_flyer_US.pdf 

 

The above link will take you to the list of items that will be on sale.  You can place orders directly online through my website, www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net or you can contact me and I will place the order for you.  And don't forget your Christmas Wish List or that of your stampin' friends!  Now would be a good time to start your Christmas shopping without having to leave your house! 

 

Questions?  Don't hesitate to give me a holler.  Off to check out the sale list.  Have a great day!

 

More Masking

Today's cards were again created using a "stencil" left over from a previously diecut framelit (from the Labels set).  After sponging the Crumb Cake, I stamped the image (off-center a bit) with Early Espresso ink before removing the stencil.  This was done so that the image remained in the confines of the Crumb Cake sponged area while masking off the white area of the card.  The sentiment was stamped after the stencil was removed as I wanted the sentiment to spill over into the white area.  I repeated the same steps for the Marina Mist and Red card, but I inked the flower image using my markers so as the flower would stand out.  I am sure you recognize the stamps I used from the Love & Sympathy set, but maybe not the "hope" sentiment.  It is from the Blooming With Kindness set on page 87 of the annual catalog.  In my opinion, the font used in this set is gorgeous.    Now time to get back to my holiday things.  Have a great day!

Change of Pace

I have been making many Christmas and Thanksgiving cards and favors and needed a little change of pace.  So, I opted to make a pretty little card for Valentine's day or just to say "love you" to someone.  This polka dot Love You stamp jumped out at me when the Holiday Mini was first released, but I wasn't into the other stamps in the Seasonal Sayings set.  So when SU released it as a single stamp purchase, I wasted no time in purchasing it.  At the price of $4.95, I will get my money's worth.  What the heck, one embellished card at my local card shop costs $4.95!  And how perfect is the heart?  After cutting a heart using a framelit die, I saved the heart for future use, but used the negative space as my stencil.  I centered it on the card and sponged the entire area with Pink Pirouette. When I was happy with the sponging, I removed the "stencil", stamped the sentiment in black and added a few little flowers and embellishments.  In tomorrow's post, I will show a couple more cards on which I used the masking technique.  Until then, have a great day!

Meet Duval!

Today's photo is of our new grandpuppy, Duval.  Back in April, our son adopted Molly and she is a very good dog.   But Molly needed a friend as she suffers from a little separation anxiety.  Matthew had been searching Pit Bull rescue sites looking for Molly's companion when he came upon Bombshell Bullies Pit Bull Rescue (www.bombshellbullies.com).  He saw this little charmer, set up an appointment to meet him and now the boy belongs to Matt and Molly.  The two dogs are getting along just fine and Duval has made himself right at home at Matt's house.  He and Molly are good companions for each other and for Matt, too.  They are both lucky dogs to have Matt as their Dad.  Congratulations, Matt.  We are proud of you and your determination to rescue dogs rather than purchase a cute little puppy from the pet store. 



Family Workshop?

My JOY Frame workshop was a huge success.  Over the past week, a few of you have seen my FAMILY frames in person and have asked if I was going to offer a workshop for it.  Before I set firm dates, I am wondering how many would be interested, what date would work, etc.  My initial plan includes:

• Cost:  $12 (not including frame or extra paper); I will try to get black frames at a decent price of $10 again. (Not an SU event.)
• Dates I have available:  Sunday November 25th and/or Saturday, December 1st.
• I have used Cherry Cobbler and Pink Pirouette for the letter shadows and tiny embellishment pieces.  You would have the color of your choice using SU cardstock.  So long as it coordinates with black and ivory, the choice is yours. 
• You would need to supply your own adhesive and bring a paper trimmer.

As of this moment, I have supplies to make 10 of these, not including frames and with a few minor paper changes, more than that.  I have 5 black frames as of now.  If you are interested in attending a Family Workshop, please send me an email (gsacht@aol.com) including the date that would work best and the color you would prefer.   Have a great day!

Freedom

When you see a man or woman in a military uniform, do you ever just say "thank you"?  I am proud to say that I do.  Do you ever see an elderly gentleman wearing a cap embroidered with the name of a ship or the words Vietnam War Veteran or World War II  Veteran?  I have.  As a matter of fact, my dad walked just a little taller when he wore his hat embroidered with U.S.S. Iowa BB-61.  Did anyone ever thank him?  I do not know and wish I had asked that question.  But I have been in the store and approached an elderly gentleman or two who were wearing such a baseball cap and have thanked them.  The men were thrilled and a little shocked, too.  But you know what?  They immediately knew why I said  "thank you".  So if you have the opportunity, thank a stranger in uniform or an elderly man or woman wearing one of those baseball caps.  They are our heroes and because of them we have our FREEDOM!  Thank you to all who gave and continue to give their all for us. 

One More Lovely As A Tree

I was asked if this stamp set could be used for seasons other than winter.  So earlier today I got right on that and after a few tries, I was pretty much happy with this card.  I stamped the trees and the reflection in the "water" using Early Espresso.  Everything else was sponged using various shades of green and blue and then Daffodil Delight for the sun. As I look through the Memory Box Grand Madison window die cut (not SU) I think of Spring.  And what a great "thinking of you" card I now have to send someone!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Dramatic Lovely As A Tree

Today's card are dramatically different from the Lovely As A Tree card posted earlier this week.  Whereas that card was soft and pretty, today's cards are deep and rich.  I achieved this not only by using darker colors, but also by embossing the trees.  The trees on the Midnight Blue card were stamped with Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder.  The trees on both the Not Quite Navy and Island Indigo cards were embossed with Early Espresso embossing powder.  I used a mask to add little snow drifts and the moon and then highlighted the snow and some of the tree branches using Stampin' Up's beautiful Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  This is just about the only glitter you will see on my cards as I am not fond of  "glitter mess".  But honestly, there is something about Dazzling Diamonds that makes "glitter mess" on my island okay!  And now I am going to go clean up the beautiful Dazzling Diamonds "glitter mess"--lol! Have a wonderful weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Blooming With Kindness

Today's cards were stamped using the Blooming With Kindness stamp set which is in  the annual catalog.  I have been on the fence about adding this set to my collection but when SU dangled that 15% off Spooktacular, I caved--lol!  Using Elegant Eggplant, Cajun Craze and Always Artichoke created cards with a real Autumn feel.  I am sure that Daffodil Delight or Melon Mambo flowers would lend a great Spring/Summer feel to cards.   If you have a large inventory of sentiment stamps but lack image stamps, now is a good time to purchase this stamp.  Not only is this flower "multi-purpose", but it is now available for purchase as a single stamp until January 2nd for $6.95.  I could probably do a technique class using this one image:  watercolor, rock 'n roll, emboss, emboss resist, direct to rubber and a more!  Hmmmm,  I will have to think about this: Preorder the stamp and block, bring your favorite sentiments and "technique" the afternoon away. Could be fun and a good refresher class, too!  Off to stamp the flower using some of the techniques I just mentioned.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

FAMILY Frame

I mentioned in Monday's post that I had been working on a couple of projects over the weekend and here they are! I had so much fun designing and creating the JOY Frame, that I created a 12 x 12 FAMILY frame.  The pattern paper is my all time favorite CTMH paper, Silhouettes--now retired.   But back then I stocked up on it and use it only for special projects.  The pink version was my practice project and then I changed it up a little so that it would fit perfectly in my friend, Regina's home.  She loves her family and stars and shades of red.  She has been going through serious health issues with grace and determination and I wanted to give her something special.   I know that nothing means more to her than her family and that was my inspiration.  I traded some of the butterflies for stars, pearls for sparkly rhinestones and a Very Vanilla  for a background page for Cherry Cobbler.  Both very pretty; both very different.  Have a wonderful day and send a few prayers and positive thoughts Regina's way!

Go out and . . .

VOTE

and have a great day!

Winter Lovely As A Treee

 I had a nice crafting weekend.  On Friday night I wanted to stamp, but since the craft room was all set for Saturday's JOY Frame workshop, I didn't want to do anything that would require a lot of clean up.  I pulled out the Lovely As A Tree set, stamped the tree line and started sponging grass.  I was going to create a lawn that resembles our lawn right now--brown and green and very "Fall".  Well, it turned out so not the way I envisioned that I used that section as a mask on my next attempt, leaving the bottom portion looking like snow--very easy, just left it white--hahaha!!!  The sky was sponged with Bashful Blue and Basic Gray inks and it is the perfect background for the tree line!  A glue pen and  Dazzling Diamonds glitter added a little sparkle to the snow while the lone evergreen tree looks like it belongs  in the forefront of the peaceful setting.   On Saturday, more pretty JOY Frames were created and on Sunday I created some pretty projects which I will post during the week.  Have a wonderful day!

Introducing the New Stampin' Trimmer

I just received my trimmer last week and so far, I am pleased with it.  Below are the features of the new paper trimmer:

• An extra-wide 6-1/4" cutting base and an extended 14-1/2" ruler
  • The extra-wide cutting base provides a large work area and is marked in 1/4" (4 mm) increments, allowing for small measurements.
  • The right-side grid helps you measure and cut very thin strips.
  • The extended cutting arm has a stabilizing leg to provide a sturdy and steady cutting surface for longer cuts.
  • When fully extended, the extended cutting arm sits flush with the trimmer base, providing more accurate and consistent measurements across the entire surface.
  • The cutting base and track include a full ruler, incorporating measurements down to 1/16" and grid lines that mark each quarter inch.
  • All rulers and measurements on the base are printed under a plastic cover so your measurements won't wear off.
  • The base has nonskid feet, which keeps the Stampin' Trimmer securely in place on your work area.
• A full 12" cutting and scoring track
  • The extra-long cutting track has space at the top and bottom so you don't have to take the cutting and scoring blades out when you're not using them.
  • The track gives you enough space to cut or score a full 12" (30.5 cm) without having to remove or switch out handles.
  • The cutting track locks in place for secure storage or transport.
  • The track includes an insertion point for cutting and scoring blade handles so you can easily insert handles into the cutting track.
• Specially designed handles and cutting track to ensure straight cuts
  • The hook on the scoring and cutting blade handles keeps the handles stable so the cuts are as straight as possible.
  • Handles come in two colors: dark for cutting, light for scoring.
  • The precision tip on the cutting blade allows you to pinpoint precisely where you're cutting.
  • The point on the side of each handle shows you where the blade will cut, making it easy to see exactly where your cuts and scores will begin.
• Storage compartment under base
  • The storage compartment holds scoring and cutting tools such as a Bone Folder, Simply Scored Stylus, extra scoring and cutting blades, and even business cards.
  • Separate compartments within the storage compartment keep your tools organized, and the clear cover makes it easy to see what you've stored.
• Product details: item 126889; $29.95

Heartfelt Doilies

Happy Friday!  Today's card was created using paper from the Festival of Prints DSP pack in the Holiday Mini.  I did use the better part of two of the same papers, but I wanted to give the effect of two-layer stamping without the stamping. It took a while, but I lined up the images just about right. Now had I been thinking "don't waste DSP", I would have cut off the portion of the DSP under the top layer and saved it for another card!!  Oh well, next time.  By stamping the "heartfelt" sentiment on the card front, it remains an all occasion card.  The card could be given with heartfelt: thanks, wishes, sympathy or other thoughts, depending on the handwritten note you add to the inside of the card.  A few pearls and a scored border finish off this card.  Have a wonderful weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Heaven Knows Your Special

Today's cards are simple and pretty.  They are two of the cards I am creating and putting together as a Christmas gift.  The circular image is from the Just Believe stamp set and the sentiment is one of the stamps in the Blessings From Heaven set. The sentiment and image are such that the cards can be used for any occasion: birthday, anniversary, thinking of you and many more. The inside of each card is left blank so there is plenty of room for a handwritten message. I know I mentioned this in other posts, but when I am making cards to give as presents, the embellishments used are typically flat, such as the butterfly.  Once you start adding the bulky embellishments to the card, the chances of additional postage start to increase.  I have a pretty good idea of when a card needs additional postage, but the gift recipient may not be familiar with the mail restrictions.   Speaking of postage, a nice little addition to the gift package of handmade cards would be the stamps and you might be saving someone a trip to the post office.  Have a wonderful day!